Clicky groups and politics...

So I made arrangements and the Operating Engineers Training Center had the lead grader instructor come down and put a bank on my flat track with a brand new Cat 140. He spent close to 8 hours over 2 days. I did this to make the track more suitable for mini stock cars, micro sprint cars and Legends cars. A bunch of the micro sprints came out a couple month's ago (when the track was flat) but there was a freak thunder shower overnight and it was too wet. Now their season is finished and a guy was organizing a practice session for Sep. 20. He asked if 6 cars was enough and I said sure but would be nice if the micro sprint guys (10 or 11) came back to try it out. Then I'm told they aren't coming back out but it's not because of anything I did. A few guys had tried it and really liked it. One guy that raced a micro sprint actually sold his car because he doesn't want to deal with them anymore. I couldn't get any info on what happened but will call the guy who runs the micro sprints and try to find out what's up. He seemed like a nice guy when I met him. Why does there always have to be so much politics and BS with any kind of racing or different groups? It's the same in MX too. I get the short end of the stick for catering the track for them. It's been a horrible year with all the rain and covid and now this.

It's pretty simple, people in groups have never and will never get along because everyone wants to be the ruler, king sh!t, A #1, top of the heap. Rule #1 don't have friends and don't belong to a click.

I think you're right. It's unfortunate for the guys that just want to go out and have fun. They have to be part of the group/club but a few at the top make all the decisions and 2 or more clubs just fuels the fire. Everybody loses in the end but they're too dumb to realize all it does it get tracks shut down because nobody wants to deal with all the BS.

I don't know if it has changed but found out early on no to show up to a "Harley" event while riding a Sportster, only thing worse would be to show up on a Gold Wing!

kshansen said:

I don't know if it has changed but found out early on no to show up to a "Harley" event while riding a Sportster, only thing worse would be to show up on a Gold Wing!

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Funny one that happened on a Sunday afternoon in 2013.

It was late in the day and only had time for a short 150 mile ride on my 1800 Gold Wing. I was riding through a very small town not far from home and knew there was a card lock fuel island there with a pop machine.
I rode into the lot and there were about 25 harleys and leathered up doo-rags standing around. I went over to the pop machine got a water and noticed several were looking at the rear tire on one of the bikes.
I asked what's up they looked at me and grunted a [flat tire] and no where around here to fix it. I said no worries and moved my bike over removed the small 12v compressor and tire plug kit and fixed it.
They were all just happy as hell and offered to pay me for my time and the kit. No- But you guy's can do me a favor the next time your group is out on a ride and you see a Gold Wing and rider {everyone wave like hell
at him} their faces went from a grin to a frown in a second. I rode off waving at them.

I dunno, I had a different experience with bikes. I had an '86 Honda Shadow, VT700c while I lived in Illinois. I used to ride with a group of Harley guys that never said anything negative about me or my bike, They even went out the their way to help my when it needed work. I rode a bunch with them, especially to bike night at whatever bar we were headed to. I never got crap from anyone when I rolled up. Or I was too naive to notice.

I know a couple MXer's that converted CR500's for drag racing and the HD guys were royally Pizzed they were getting beat by 2 strokes. You had to guess your time and you advanced if your actual time was closer to your guess. One of the guys was a very fast pro and did a 12 second quarter mile on a basically stock CR500 with lowered suspension, street tires and different gearing/sprockets.

It's not all the Harley guys that are that way, but mostly the ones who are into the bikes for the "Image".

Most are pretty good but some really frown on you if you ride anything other than a Harley. Sportsters kind of fall into this category too. Maybe because they're the smallest HD's?

Years ago the Sportster was known as a baby harley and for that reason alone many didn't want one.

I'd guess you don't want to show up in a Harley golf cart.

During the AMF years in mid 70's NO ONE wanted a harley aka {John Deere with handlebars}. I remember the XLCR 1000 cafe racer based on a sportster. You could kill it with a
Yamaha 650 Maxum. It was a phony looking bugger. And really no one wanted any harley when the Japanese bikes came around. If the harley's of today were like the old
pan heads of yester-year no one would want one in today's world.

From what I've heard the AMF years had the worst quality of all of the Harleys.

Truck Shop said:

Years ago the Sportster was known as a baby harley and for that reason alone many didn't want one.

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And they also get called "Girls Bikes" and the thing is up till about 1980 the biggest Harley's were only 1200 cc's Well not too long after I had my Sportster I swapped on a set of 1200 cc cylinders and pistons!

And to add to that the "big" bikes were only 1,340 cc's. Heck 140 cc's isn't hardly enough to power a Vespa and when you figure in the added weight some of those "big bikes" carry in add on trinkets they would not stand a chance at a 1200 Sportster in the 1/4 mile!

kshansen said:

And they also get called "Girls Bikes" and the thing is up till about 1980 the biggest Harley's were only 1200 cc's Well not too long after I had my Sportster I swapped on a set of 1200 cc cylinders and pistons!

And to add to that the "big" bikes were only 1,340 cc's. Heck 140 cc's isn't hardly enough to power a Vespa and when you figure in the added weight some of those "big bikes" carry in add on trinkets they would not stand a chance at a 1200 Sportster in the 1/4 mile!

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I have a RD-350 Yamaha and have been approached several times at gas stations (it’s a thirsty rascal) asking if I’d consider selling it because their girlfriend needs a small bike to learn to ride. I generally answer that it’s not a beginner friendly bike. They look at me like I’m an idiot till I kick it over and they hear that 2 stroke scream. I look at them like they’re the idiot then.
My cousin is a Harley snob and commented about my overgrown chainsaw, I laughed at him and said when your bike is wound out at 5 grand, I’m just getting on the pipe.

May be why I prefer to ride two up and NO other bikes around. Do not like cliques, do not care for 'Squirrel' stops or those that cannot ride for more than 15 minutes to take a butt break. Will Two down any bike I meet and see a few that do not respond, see a lot of bar riders do not ever get 60 miles from home. Have had a Pan and a Knuckle head bike, oil slobbering messes, shovels no better where Evo's started getting it right. Enjoyed my Harley's, not race bikes but was over the Crotch Rocket race scene as got more into the Harleys.
'03 Road King was a bit of disappointment power wise, had the early version 88ci Delphi EFI and did not really go closed loop, '12 Road Glide has plenty of ass to please me 103ci and does go closed loop adjusting as needs to.

A snob lol

colson04 said:

I had an '86 Honda Shadow, VT700c while I lived in Illinois.

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Did yours have the goofy "T" shaped battery? I had a '85 with that battery. The outer cells were short and fat and the inner ones were tall and narrow. Battery case was made only for it, barely able to sneak it in there. I think they only used it for 2 years or so.

Man, I got some sour news today. The Harley guy I mentioned above that went out of his way to help me fix up that old Shadow passed away yesterday. He let me use his tools, his bike hoist, taught me general bike maintanence and fed me more Coors light while turning wrenches than I can count. Ride on Tomcat, ride on.

crane operator said:

Did yours have the goofy "T" shaped battery? I had a '85 with that battery. The outer cells were short and fat and the inner ones were tall and narrow. Battery case was made only for it, barely able to sneak it in there. I think they only used it for 2 years or so.

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To be honest, I don't remember. I sold that bike 11 years ago and I don't think I ever had to touch the battery. I did replace the tires, brakes, rebuilt forks, rebuilt carbs, replaced throttle and choke cables, replaced ignition coils, etc.